ECO'LECTIC strummings

After a stupendous turnout at its first edition in 2016; Echoes of Earth, namma city's  first environmental friendly music festival, makes its way back into Bengaluru again  — much to the excitement of music lovers in town. The festival is slated to take place on November 18 and 19. The live music and arts festival serves as a platform to create, promote and celebrate the concept of sustainability. From pulsating beats to mesmerising art installations, the eco fest will offer a gamut of experiences for excited city folk. In a candid chat, we find out more...

“As a Bengalurean, I am excited about backing a festival that is not just about music, but has an eco-friendly agenda. It’s only appropriate to be introducing and supporting such festivals that preserve what little we have left of our beautiful green-belt. That aside, I am not sure about what I can do to be more eco-friendly. I’ll play organic grooves and try to exhale less CO2 into our atmosphere that weekend, perhaps,” quips DJ Robby, who will be performing at the festival on November 19.

True to the vibe of the festival,  its essence can be best summed up as ‘Let's follow the music into the wilderness, into the lap of everything as pure as the art we love.’ “As you know, Music is a universal language and it brings communities together. Having been living in this city for 24 years, I’ve witnessed the city transform drastically, depleting its natural resources. It is the need of the hour to address it.   We would like to use power of communities to bring in changes, taking small steps at a time. Echoes of Earth is this community that is aiming to create awareness on sustainability, preservation of Earth and green living,” states Roshan Netalkar ,the festival director.

The festival plans to feature promising international and Indian line-ups with sounds of electronic live, soul, Indian fusion, jazz, techno, blues, reggae, rock and the like. Artistes like  Emancipator (USA), Youngr (UK) will be performing live at this venue, which will have four stages.

Young music enthusiasts can expect a mash of everything 'out-of-the-box'. “A venue and festival like EOE makes a DJ want to think a little out of the box. Expect some usual tracks selections but something that will be happy, groovy, sexy and reminiscent of the beautiful venue,” adds DJ Robby.

The unpredictability and experimental nature of the eco-fest is what got TWOKID WICKID excited. “Prithvi, one half of TWOKID WICKID was at the festival last year and loved every aspect of it. The vibe, the set-up, the music was intimate and special. Anyone who has heard us play knows that we never plan our sets. We like to feel the crowd and the situation of the dance floor and play music that fits in. The festival offers us the liberty to do that. We also like to add that element mystery and surprise to our music, hence you never know what to expect!" opines Achal Khanolkar. And this city remains their favourite.  "Bengaluru has a genuinely organic independent musical culture. Music is a part of our daily lives here and constitutes a major part of weekends for a majority of youngsters today in our opinion,” he concludes. The event takes place on November 18 and 19 at the Embassy International Riding School.